Music Found to Help on the Road to Happiness

Looking for a little boost to your mood these days? Well, scientists at the University of Missouri have found that listening to upbeat music can put a big boost in your moods!

Music is found everywhere in our everyday lives. At your favorite restaurant, at the gym, in your car and even at the grocery store. With the growing popularity of online sites such as Pandora and Spotify, music is becoming that much more accessible and proving to be a massive part of our culture. Oftentimes, when people are going through a tough time emotionally, they tend to listen to music that reflects their mood as music often helps to aid in the healing process.

A study done by a team at the University of Missouri found that happier music were more likely to experience a happier mood. Participants instructed to actively improve their mode while listening to the happy-go-lucky tunes of Copland boosted their overall happiness in as little as just two weeks. Participants who listened to the gloomier Stravinsky and made no attempts to change their mood walked out of the study a little more down in the dumps than they had been when they started. Those who listened to the music without attempting to consciously change their mood reported no increase in happiness.

However, happiness does not occur overnight and, as with many endeavors, it requires dedication. Instant happiness is hard to achieve. “Rather than focusing on how much happiness they've gained and engaging in that kind of mental calculation, people could focus more on enjoying their experience of the journey towards happiness and not get hung up on the destination,” Yuna Ferguson says. So, the next time you're feeling down in the dumps, don’t forget to enjoy the ride as you listen to Pandora!